ASIA/PHILIPPINES – New archbishop of Cebu visits earthquake victims

Cebu – The new Archbishop of Cebu, Msgr. Alberto Uy, celebrated his inauguration on the morning of September 30th in the Cathedral of Cebu City, a city in the center of the Philippine archipelago, thus officially beginning his pastoral ministry. That same evening, at 9:59 p.m. local time, an earthquake of magnitude 6.9 struck the northern tip of Cebu Island, near Bogo, a city of 90,000 inhabitants, destroying or damaging numerous buildings , claiming over 60 lives and leaving thousands homeless. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the earthquake was strongly felt in the Visayas Islands , but also further south. Archbishop Uy’s first thought was therefore for the people affected and the displaced: Archbishop Uy immediately sent a message of condolences to the families who had lost their loved ones, saying, “May the Lord give you strength and hope.” He also called on all Catholic communities to remain united in prayer and mutual support during the reconstruction phase. The following morning, October 1, he personally visited the affected areas to offer comfort and support and to demonstrate the concrete concern of the entire Church. “You are not alone,” he told those affected. The archdiocese has asked the parishes in these areas not to use their places of worship until engineers have inspected them and declared them “safe.” Among the severely damaged buildings are the historic Santa Rosa de Lima Shrine in Bogo City and the San Vincenzo Ferrer Shrine in Bogo City, among others. In his inauguration address, the new archbishop called for close collaboration among priests, religious, catechists, and lay people “for the good of all” and recalled that he was called to lead one of the largest dioceses in the country, with over 4.8 million Catholics. The tragic event of the earthquake is an opportunity to immediately demonstrate this communion and collaboration in order to “keep the flame of hope alive,” he said.

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